A wide range of reviews of recommended books on primary and secondary drama, directing, Shakespeare and more. View each category by clicking on the tabs below.
100 Acting Exercises for 8-18 Year Olds by Samantha Marsden
Samantha Marsden provides a practical tour through the leading approaches to acting used on the stage today.
100 Great Plays for Women
An introduction to 100 varied plays for female casts with synopsis, cast breakdown and a short essay about each play.
101 Drama Games and Activities
A collection of highly effective games and exercises suitable for children, young people and adults.
101 More Drama Games and Activities
Inspirational games and exercises suitable for drama lessons and workshops as well as during rehearsal and devising periods.
A Beginner’s Guide to Devising Theatre by Jess Thorpe and Tashi Gore
An inspiring guidebook for planning to produce contemporary devised work with young people (or adults).
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe Education
Another brilliant volume from Globe Education which is perfect for students at Key Stage 3 and 4.
A Practical Guide to Ensemble Devising
A thorough and practical guide to the making of ensemble collaborative performance.
A Practical Guide to Shakespeare for the Primary School
A highly practical and original approach to exploring Shakespeare with primary-aged children.
Books on Drama for Language Teaching and Learning
Recommended books on teaching and learning language through drama games and activities.
Cinderella – Listen To Me – Restorative Justice (5-11 years)
Explore bullying issues through the story of Cinderella using drama, writing and restorative justice techniques
Creating Drama with 7-11 Year Olds
A highly practical book providing a wide range of ideas for using drama across the curriculum.
Creative Shakespeare – The Globe Education Guide to Practical Shakespeare
Highly enjoyable approaches used in Globe Theatre workshops with dozens of activities aimed at children aged from 11 to adult.
Developing Drama Skills 11-14
An excellent framework for Key Stage 3 drama, including 16 practical and imaginative units of work.
Drama Games for Classrooms and Workshops
It can easily be picked up and a suitable activity found for any group within a matter of moments.
Drama Games for Devising
A brilliant collection of fun starting points and structures to get your company working together and shaping their work.
Drama Games for Rehearsals
Delightful creative approaches for developing a production, whether a budding director or experienced actor.
Drama Games for Those who Like to Say No
The majority of activities are aimed at those working with young people and adults in so-called "difficult" groups.
Drama Games for Young Children
Forty lesson plans for those wishing to develop dramatic role-play, characterisation, exploration of emotions and themes with young children.
Drama Lessons for the Primary School Year
25 drama schemes to take the teacher through the academic year using a range of accessible drama techniques.
Drama Menu
Perfect book for planning drama sessions for secondary students and above, with games and longer activities.
Drama Menu at a Distance: 80 Socially Distanced or Online Theatre Games by Glyn Trefor-Jones
Drama games for socially-distanced and online teaching, carefully planned for this difficult period we are living through.
Drama Play: Bringing Books to Life Through Drama for 4 to 7 Year Olds
A series of ready-planned drama lessons based on 12 readily-available books for 4-7 year olds.
Drama Schemes
Drama schemes for key stages 3-4 with themes ranging from substance abuse to survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
Drama Sessions for Primary Schools and Drama Clubs
Aimed squarely at teachers and freelance practitioners wishing to run after school or private drama clubs.
Drop Of A Hat Drama Lessons, Games and Activities
For any teacher who wants to bring the curriculum to life through drama and creativity.
Ensemble Theatre Making: A Practical Guide
An analysis of the ensemble approach to devising theatre.
Ideas for Drama Clubs
Recommended books for running drama clubs.
Jumpstart! Drama
A dip-into book, containing over 40 approaches to using drama with well-known stories.
Laban for All
Rudolf Laban's down to earth approach can be used to beneficially develop character movement for young children through to adults.
Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years
“A must-have for those serious about the teaching of drama in primary school settings.”
Learning Your Lines: The Compact Guide By Mark Channon
Using the experience of his acting career, Mark Channon applies Mindfulness and the Memory Palace approach to learning lines for
Let’s Perform by Cath Howe
A sparkling collection of monologues, duologues and poems designed to encourage children to get up and perform.
Macbeth – Globe Education Shakespeare
An attractive resource from Shakespeare's Globe Education including director's notes, actors' exercises and views by the actors.
Making Theatre, The Frazzled Drama Teacher’s Guide to Devising
This book is particularly aimed at secondary drama teachers who help young people to make devised theatre for examinations.
Mantle of the Expert – A Beginner’s Guide by Tim Taylor
'Mantle of the Expert' motivates children to learn about the real world through imaginative participation in a fictional context.
My Favourite Drama Teaching Books
These books are ideal for practical ideas to use right away. The first two cover secondary as well as primary
National Theatre: All About Theatre
A beautifully designed, colourful scrapbook providing a brilliant introduction to live theatre, focussing on family productions at the National Theatre.
Our Country’s Good: A Study Guide
A practical guide to the performance of the play, including valuable insights into the directing process.
Playful Plays Volume 1
A lively collection of eight short plays for children and young people supported by inspirational drama games.
Playing the Mask: Acting Without Bullshit by John Wright
An expert and entertaining exploration of half-mask, full mask and archetypes with many games along the way.
Plays for Youth Theatres and Large Casts
A volume of four popular scripts ideal for larger youth theatre casts by award-winning playwright Neil Duffield.
Princesses, Dragons and Helicopter Stories: Storytelling and story acting in the early years
A fascinating storytelling approach to drama and learning, suitable for children from 18 months to 7 years old.
Romeo and Juliet – Globe Education Shakespeare
An inspiring resource with a host of ideas and approaches to help teachers engage the teenagers it is aimed at.
Shakespeare Primary Classics
Potted adaptations of five of Shakespeare's plays with amusing and ingenious staging devices.
Shakespeare’s Heartbeat – Drama Games for Children with Autism
A fascinating book which outlines a unique approach to teaching Shakespeare to children on the autistic spectrum.
Teach Drama: How to Make a Living as a Freelance Drama Teacher
Down-to-earth practical advice for those who would like to work as a freelance drama teacher.
Teaching Primary Drama
Any teacher wishing to use drama to support creativity and learning across the curriculum would benefit from using this book.
The Active Text: Unlocking Plays Through Physical Theatre
How physical theatre exercises, games and rehearsal techniques can be applied to scripted plays.
The Drama Book by Alice Savage
A comprehensive guide to using plays and drama activities, ideal for those working with English language learners.
The Drama Club by Mark Wheeller and Clive Hulme
Mark Wheeller's account of his reluctant foray into leading a Junior Drama Club.
The Excellent Audition Guide
A clear guide full of helpful tips for anyone applying to drama school.
The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre
Highly recommended insight into the work of a leading UK physical theatre company - a must for devising physical work.
The Gruffalo Drama Activities (4-7 years)
Explore familiar themes and characters through improvisation and role play.
The Improv Book
For anyone exploring improvisation, wanting to spice up rehearsals of existing material or devise their own work.
The Primary Drama Handbook
A practical manual of drama lesson approaches for working across a range of curriculum subjects.
The RSC Shakespeare Toolkit for Teachers
A thorough resource from the Royal Shakespeare Company including practical sessions and worksheets for three of Shakespeare's most popular plays.
The Whoosh Book
Summaries of 42 stories, plays, myths and novels for 7-14 year-olds to use with the enjoyable Whoosh storytelling technique.
Vocal Warm Ups and Exercises by Toula and James Messer
A delightfully illustrated book of simple vocal exercises and full body stretches.
Why Is That So Funny?
A highly original and entertaining look at how to create comedic improvisation in rehearsal.
Recent Book Reviews
Learning Your Lines: The Compact Guide By Mark ChannonMarch 21, 2022
Vocal Warm Ups and Exercises by Toula and James MesserNovember 20, 2020
Drop Of A Hat Drama Lessons, Games and ActivitiesNovember 14, 2020
Drama Menu at a Distance: 80 Socially Distanced or Online Theatre Games by Glyn Trefor-JonesSeptember 19, 2020
The Drama Book by Alice SavageNovember 12, 2019
My Favourite Drama Teaching BooksOctober 4, 2019
101 Drama Games and Activities
‘Belongs amongst the top 10 books any director or drama teacher should own.’ – English Touring Opera
101 MORE Drama Games and Activities
‘This book cheered me up. Buy it and smile. There will be a lot of laughter in your classroom.’
– National Drama Magazine.
Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years
‘Full of easily accessible advice… clear explanations and inventive suggestions.’
– National Drama Magazine.
Playful Plays Volume 1
‘An off-the-shelf, high-quality rehearsal process ideal for primary-aged students… the perfect go-to for short presentation pieces that pack a punch.’ – Teaching Drama Magazine.
